The controversial documentary based on the December-16 gangrape is scheduled to be aired on British Broadcasting Corporation World (BBC) in the United Kingdom for Thursday night. This comes despite Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s attempts to stall the broadcasting of the documentary internationally.
The Government had on Wednesday said it will not allow telecast of the controversial BBC documentary featuring an interview of a death row convict in the country. After agitated members demanded action against officials who permitted the convict’s interview in Tihar jail by a BBC crew, Home Minister Rajnath Singh informed both Houses of Parliament that the Government will not allow broadcast of the interview and fix responsibility after conducting a probe.
The Home Minister also said he has asked the Information & Broadcasting Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs to look for ways to stop its broadcast abroad and the Government would review the existing provisions for allowing such shoots inside prisons to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
At the same time, a CMM court on Wednesday upheld the stay on telecast of the documentary and banned the telecast of the documentary on the internet too. Expressing anguish over the documentary titled India’s Daughter, directed by leslee Udwin, women MPs vociferously registered their protest in the Rajya Sabha and trooped into the Well of the House forcing a brief adjournment.
leading these MPs, Jaya Bachchan (SP) sought immediate punishment to the convicts and later walked out with some of her party colleagues. Assuring the agitated members in both Houses, Rajnath Singh said he himself felt “hurt” after coming across the news of the interview on Tuesday and immediately ordered his officials to stop telecast of the film. “Under no circumstances, this documentary will be allowed to be broadcast...The Government has taken necessary action and secured an order restraining the telecast of the film on Tuesday night,” he said.
Maintaining that the Government will not allow commercial use of such incidents, Singh said he will order a probe to fix responsibility for the shooting of the film inside the high-security Tihar Jail.
Responding to queries from the Opposition in both the Houses about the sequence of events regarding the permission for shooting inside the jail, Singh said, a “No Objection Certificate” for filming was given by his Ministry in July 2013. The permission was given to leslee Udwin and Anjali Bhushan.
However, this permission was subject to some conditions like the film-makers would have to show the unedited version of the shoot or take prior approval for telecasting or publishing any part of the shoot.
Admitting that some of the conditions were violated, he said other terms included that the reporters could interview only those prisoners who had given written consent. The film-makers were also told to show complete footage to jail authorities so that there was no breach of prison security norms.
Observing that the producers were required to take approval from jail authorities before telecast, he said the authorities’ permission was also required for either publishing of a research paper or releasing the documentary film which should have been made for purely social purposes without any commercial interest.
On learning that permission conditions were violated, the jail authorities on April 7, 2014 issued a legal notice to the producers to return the unedited footage within 15 days and also not to show the film as it violates the permission conditions.
Subsequently, the documentary was shown to the jail authorities where it was noticed that the film featured the convict’s comments “which are highly derogatory and are an affront to the dignity of women.”
Singh said it was also noticed that the film shown was the edited version and not the unedited one. “Hence, they were requested to provide the full copy of the unedited film shoot for further review by the authorities and asked not to release or screen the documentary till it is approved by the authorities,” he said.
Expressing concern over the mindset of many men in India, Anu Aga (Nominated) said: “The reality is that what that man (convict) spoke reflects the view of many men in India. Why are we shying away from realityIJ Why are we not confronting the issueIJ We should confront the issue. It is not just the view of the man in the prison. let us be aware of it. let us not pretend that all is well.”
Sharing the same views, Javed Akhtar (Nominated) said he has heard such derogatory views about women in this House. “It’s good that this documentary has been made. Crores of men in India have now come to know that they think like a rapist. If it is sounding dirty, they have to think,” he said.
TN Seema (CPM) called for a change in the mindset as she rued that MPs and Ministers also come out with derogatory statements against women and their respective parties should take note of them and act. BSP chief Mayawati and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also expressed concern. Ranjeet Ranjan (Congress), PK Shrimathi Teacher(CPM), Kirron Kher(BJP) and her party colleague Minakshi lekhi raised the issue in the lok Sabha.